The community known as Emerson today was laid out and platted July 28, 1855 under the name of Empire and at that early date wsa considered "the prettiest inland spot in the County" of Whiteside. It is located a mile or so north and west of Galt and enhanced by the Elkhorn Creek which forms the natural eastern boundary along with Spring Creek at the western edge and surrounded by a refreshingon woodlands. Emerson was platted by Major Elijah Wallace, a pioneer in Hopkins Township, along with G.S. Fraser, O.C. Stolp and WIlliam M. Sutton. A dam had been built across Elkhorn Creek in the 1840's and by 1859 Emerson boasted a flour mill, saw mill, woolen mill and general store and the industry and the industry was attributed to the water power supplied by the dam. Joel Harvey erected the grist mill following the addition of the saw mill which was built by Hezekiah Brink, the founder of Sterling.

Harvey's mill was built on the west bank of the Elkhorn at Emerson which is now a part of the Lester Deets farm. The Emerson dam was destroyed by the ice jam around 1880 and the local grist mill, woolen factory and saw mill all ceased operations before this event. During the 1850's the residents constructed a large two story school building and it was called "Oak Grove Academy."

The Lutheran Church of Empire/Emerson was organized on APirl 4, 1870 and a church building was erected that same year. The first pastor was the Rev. J.W. Richards. At the end of December, in the same year 1880, the church ceased to have a resident pastor and services were conducted by the Rev. E. Brown, Sterling, on SUnday afternoons.

Two very prominent residents of Emerson were Joel Harvey and Elijah Wallace. Harvey came from New York and built the mill and store, several dwellings and ownded large tracts of land nearby. His son Samuel was second sergeant in Company B, 13th IL Vol. Harvey bored and artesian well in Sterling and laid pipes long before the present water system. He moved to Sterling and died there in 1875.

Illinois - "Our Way"